International rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have criticized Burkina Faso’s junta for outlawing homosexuality.
The country’s Parliament unanimously approved the Persons and Family Code law which imposes penalties of up to five years in prison, along with fines and other sanctions, for identifying as LGBT or promoting homosexual activities.
LGBT Rights Researcher at Human Rights Watch, Larissa Kojoue told The Africa Dispatch that the decision enforces the homophobic stance of the junta.
“They are not willing to see or protect an already persecuted minority. A pan-Africanist project that distinguishes between those who have the right to live freely and those who must hide is not a liberatory project for me,” Kojoue stated.
The law comes less than a year after Burkina Faso’s ally; Mali, also ruled by a military junta, adopted a similar legislation against homosexuality. In 2024, Amnesty International said 31 countries in Africa had criminalized consensual same-sex sexual activity.
Around the world, homosexual relationships are outlawed in around one-third of nations.
For Amnesty International, the law raises deep concerns and has the potential of creating discrimination and violating the right to equality before the law.
“It is at odds with the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both ratified by Burkina Faso, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for West and Central Africa; Marceau Sivieude said in a statement.
The legislation has, however, sparked mixed reactions among citizens in the junta led country, with many welcoming the move.
Burkina Faso’s Justice Minister, Edasso Rodrigue Bayala in a televised address described homosexuality as a “bizarre behavior.”
“If a person engages in homosexual or similar practices, all this bizarre behavior, they will be brought before a judge,” touting the legislation as a promotion of marriage and family values.
